
“Behind this mask, another mask; I will never be done with removing all these faces,” wrote artist and poet Claude Cahun in 1930. Throughout the 20th century, artists have imagined the body and ideas of the self as fluid and open to ongoing transformations. Vital Signs includes over 100 works by artists who question what it means to be an individual within a larger society—and how socially sustained categories such as gender, race, and sexual identity are rooted in abstraction.
Much of the work in Vital Signs was made by women or gender-expansive artists. The exhibition suggests fresh perspectives on celebrated works from MoMA’s collection by artists such as Frida Kahlo, Ana Mendieta, Louise Bourgeois, and Senga Nengudi, as well as works on view at the Museum for the first time by artists including Belkis Ayón, Ted Joans, and Rosemary Mayer. Some artists explore how we project, distort, and create identities through acts of play, empathy, or control. Others focus on the body’s interior—both real and imagined—or look to the world outside, forming newly imagined combinations of the human and the non-human. Full of life, Vital Signs illuminates some of the ways that artists reflect on abstraction in its broadest social senses while expanding ideas around what it means to be alive and to connect with others.
Organized by Lanka Tattersall, Laurenz Foundation Curator, with Margarita Lizcano Hernandez, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Drawings and Prints. With thanks to Simon Ghebreyesus, Studio Museum in Harlem and MoMA Joint Curatorial Fellow.




The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an iconic institution located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, celebrated for its pioneering collection and innovative architecture. Renowned for housing one of the world’s most significant collections of modern and contemporary art, MoMA is a must-visit destination for art enthusiasts.

A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services